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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · present · key · ball · pop · trunk · spell · bear

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bear — the animal
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ball — a great time
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spell — letters
  7. present — the time now
  8. pop — soda
  9. spell — magic
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. present — a gift
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. land — a country
  17. present — there
  18. key — in music
  19. land — to come down
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pop — music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com